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5 Francs CFA Essai
| Issuer | Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique Equatoriale et du Cameroun |
|---|---|
| Year | 1961 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Three giant elands (Taurotragus derbianus) depicted in left-facing profile, their long spiral horns prominently rendered in high relief, filling the central field. The two-line legend ETATS DE L'AFRIQUE EQUATORIALE / BANQUE CENTRALE arcs across the upper field, with the engravers' signatures G.B. and L.BAZOR incused at the right. The date 1961 appears in the lower exergue flanked by stylised vegetation, with the word CAMEROUN inscribed along the lower rim. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique Equatoriale et du Cameroun was itself a short-lived institution, operational only between 1961 and 1972 before being reorganized into the BEAC. This essai — a trial strike submitted for official approval rather than public circulation — dates to the bank's inaugural year, making it one of the earliest pieces produced under that authority. Essais from francophone African monetary unions of this period were typically struck in extremely small quantities at the Paris Mint, retained largely by collectors and monetary officials rather than ever reaching commerce.